The Susumu Ito collection consists primarily of photographs and negatives from Ito’s service as a part of the 442nd Regimental
Combat Team’s 522nd Field Artillery Battalion. Throughout the war Ito carried a small camera with him at all times, capturing
extremely rare images. Notable subjects include the Los Battalion, the liberation of a Dachau sub-camp, and the daily lives
of U.S. soldiers. The collection also includes a Dachau gate pass addressed to Sus Ito as well as a thank you letter from
an ex-Dachau prisoner. There are also a number of Ito’s personal belongings and uniform items in the collection.

Background

Susumu (Sus) Ito was born on July 27, 1919 in Stockton, California to Sohei and Hisayo Ito. His father worked as a tenant
farmer and his mother was a housewife. Ito was drafted in 1940 and inducted in February 1941 while he was attending auto mechanic
school along with five others from his community. From Stockton, Ito took the train to Sacramento, California for his physical,
where he was cleared for duty despite having flat feet. Ito was sent to quartermaster school at Camp Haan near Riverside,
California where he repaired trucks.

Extent

1.0 linear feet, 10 artifacts

Restrictions

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Collections
Management and Access Unit at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).

Availability

By appointment only.
Please Contact the Collections Management and Access Unit by email (collections@janm.org) or telephone (213-830-5615).
Please Note: Negatives require conservation work and are currently unavailable to researchers.